It was the 12th of June 2025; the time was 13:39 IST.
The flight—Air India 171—was from Ahmedabad to Gatwick.
There were 230 passengers and 12 crew members.
All of them were going from India to England.
British tourists returning home, Indian tourists going to England;
British businessmen returning, having completed their business;
Indian businessmen going to conduct their business;
People returning home, to colleges, or to workplaces;
Two pilots to fly the plane and ten cabin crew to serve the passengers.
An assortment of people one would find on any international flight.
The plane stood at the far end of the runway,
getting ready for takeoff.
It started moving slowly, then rapidly accelerated.
It took off and was in the air for 32 seconds.
The plane came crashing down into the hostel block of
B. J. Medical College, about one mile from the runway.
All aboard the plane except one died in a sudden death.
Nineteen people on the ground died, and hundreds were injured.
The death and destruction were instantaneous as the plane crashed
with 125,000 litres of aviation fuel, which, when it caught fire,
vaporized everything, leaving nothing much to see.
The crash site was obliterated, and nearby buildings burned down.
Some experts say the crash was caused by pilot error.
Some attribute it to dual engine failure.
Some say the cause was a fault in the fuel line.
Others say it was failure of electrical and hydraulic systems.
Another reason cited was the plane’s age and airworthiness.
All stakeholders—manufacturer, airline, and pilots—blame others.
It was a tragedy that could have been avoided.
Preventive and proactive steps could have saved lives.
The plane should have been properly maintained.
If it was not airworthy, it should have been decommissioned.
The pilots’ capability and mental and physical health should have been monitored.
The pain of the families and friends of the deceased is beyond imagination.
I don’t have words to console them—words fail me.
How will the families who lost their dear ones find peace and solace?
How will they keep moving forward with their tragic loss?
How will the nation recover from such a tragedy?
They say time is a healer, but in my experience, it is not.
Time dulls the pain but does not heal.
With time, you just learn to cope and adapt to the new situation.
Oh God, give us strength and courage in these difficult times.
